opticalmace
Member
So you tested each stick separately in each slot and it failed to boot? Or what's going on?
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So you tested each stick separately in each slot and it failed to boot? Or what's going on?
MisterNoisy
Member
That's true, but I'd hold off until you get your RAM back - you already know one stick works and the other doesn't. No sense in tearing everything apart until you have to.
Did a lot of diagnosing last night but my posts are all over the place. I'll recap. Build:
- Intel Core i5 6600K
- ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard
- Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5in SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2133C13 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 Black
- CoolerMaster G750M 750W Modular Bronze Power Supply
- CoolerMaster Hyper 212X CPU Cooler
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro Chassis Black
- Using an old AMD 7850 GPU
1. Turned on, all fans started (CPU 212X, Chassis Fans, GPU). No vision on monitor.
2. Turned on, off 3 times. On third attempt, made it to American Megatrends screen. It read the i5, all SATA items (SSD, HDD, ODD) and 16GB DDR4 2133 RAM (it's 2400 RAM). This bit is most confusing because I know the system read it at least once!!
3. Froze when I hit F1.
4. Powered down, did not get to this screen again.
5. Tested RAM, one stick at a time.
6. Can successfully boot to BIOS when one of the sticks is in A2, B2 slots.
7. Tested the other stick in each slot, power comes on each time but fails at the Motherboard RAM check (it has 4 LED lights, for CPU, RAM, VRAM etc).
8. Updated BIOS using latest version from ASUS. Tried both sticks again, no success.
So here I am - I don't know whether to go buy new RAM and hope it works. I fear that I've bent a PIN, but I was so so careful putting it in - I just "lowered" it in, I may have touched it a few times when I was preparing to close the latch, which caused it to "move" in its spot, but there was no pressure applied at all. I didn't wiggle it in. The only thing is that when I was installing the 212X, the Heatsink "moved" on top of the CPU while I was trying to position the x-latches through it. That's it!
opticalmace
Member
So it works fine when you have just one of the ram sticks in the A2 or B2 slots? Can you confirm that either stick will work fine in these slots?
If it's the other slots that break, then it's the motherboard. If only one of the ram sticks will boot succesfully, then it's the ram. I think if you bent a CPU pin it probably wouldn't boot -- I doubt you bent it.
You don't need to buy new ram if that's the culprit, just RMA it. But first you need to figure out if it's the mobo slots or the ram itself.
Stick A of RAM:
A2: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B of RAM:
A2: Black screen
B2: Black screen
Stick A and B of RAM:
A2: Stick A
B2: Stick B
Result: Black screen
Stick B and A of RAM:
A2: Stick B
B2: Stick A
Result: Black screen
I'm gonna go to a store today that is open, and buy new RAM, then RMA the old one to the other store (they're closed today). If the new RAM works, am I out of the woods on the whole bent CPU pins thing?
The thing that is throwing me off is that it read it on the third power on attempt, as 16GB. Then it stopped reading it
MisterNoisy
Member
Stick A of RAM:
A2: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B of RAM:
A2: Black screen
B2: Black screen
Stick A and B of RAM:
A2: Stick A
B2: Stick B
Result: Black screen
Stick B and A of RAM:
A2: Stick B
B2: Stick A
Result: Black screen
I'm gonna go to a store today that is open, and buy new RAM, then RMA the old one to the other store (they're closed today). If the new RAM works, am I out of the woods on the whole bent CPU pins thing?
The thing that is throwing me off is that it read it on the third power on attempt, as 16GB. Then it stopped reading it
If the new RAM boots clean to BIOS, you can go ahead and finish up. If not, then you start taking things apart.
opticalmace
Member
Sounds like stick B is busted. Definitely RMA your ram. Did you not try the other slots, I guess A1 and B1?Stick A of RAM:
A2: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B of RAM:
A2: Black screen
B2: Black screen
Stick A and B of RAM:
A2: Stick A
B2: Stick B
Result: Black screen
Stick B and A of RAM:
A2: Stick B
B2: Stick A
Result: Black screen
I'm gonna go to a store today that is open, and buy new RAM, then RMA the old one to the other store (they're closed today). If the new RAM works, am I out of the woods on the whole bent CPU pins thing?
The thing that is throwing me off is that it read it on the third power on attempt, as 16GB. Then it stopped reading it
If you buy new ram then you might end up with double the ram... an RMA is generally just an exchange. I don't know if your retailer will let you refund the ram or not.
edit: your cpu is fine, don't worry about the pins.
MisterNoisy
Member
Omg, reading about these problems with new builds is going to give me nightmares, I'm about a month away from building my new rig.
If it helps, things go pretty smoothly most of the time.
OK
Stick A of RAM (alleged "good" stick).
A1: Boots to BIOS
A2: Boots to BIOS
B1: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
I'm about to cycle another final test of Stick B of RAM (bad stick).
Note: When I first tried A1 and B1 with Stick A, it failed ... but I think I wasn't putting the stick in properly...jesus christ. I'm gonna try Stick B again and hope to god that was my problem..
At least I know all the DIMM Slots are functional right - that has to mean good things for the CPU pins? How else would I know if my CPU pins were broken?
thanks heaps for the responses opticalmace and MisterNoisy...you guys are keeping me from crying to pieces
Yup, I know, I've put loads of systems together so far but it doesn't stop me being paranoid lol
CadetMahoney
Member
Omg, reading about these problems with new builds is going to give me nightmares, I'm about a month away from building my new rig.
Just research your purchases and make sure your mobo will accept your chosen CPU plug and play without having to upgrade the BIOS before the CPU can be read.
Most problems are manufacturer defects I find.
Just buy new products from a retailer that can give you a refund, good refund/returns policy, and you can be confident you can return them if they're duds.
I recently bought a motherboard listed in the OP Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H (bigger ATX version though) and it came with the CPU pins bent and missing. Amazon just let me return it and auto-ordered a replacement which came 2 days later through their 3-step online process.
update...MisterNoisy ...pls save me...
.
Stick B (alleged bad RAM):
A2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, CPU LED - RESET. After RESET - Boots to BIOS straight away.
B2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, hangs here - fail.
A1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
B1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
ok so it works on all slots except B2, this is both Stick A and Stick B...i'm going to try and slot B2 again, and then try using BOTH sticks and see how I go.
WTF is happening?
MisterNoisy
Member
Does stick A exhibit the same behavior? I almost guarantee it's not the CPU. It could potentially be the socket, but assuming the install went well, that's pretty unlikely as well.
from my re-test this morning,
Stick A of RAM (alleged "good" stick).
A1: Boots to BIOS
A2: Boots to BIOS
B1: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
everything worked pretty smoothly from that test today.
MisterNoisy
Member
Seriously - exchange the RAM for another set. Worry about other parts if the same behavior exists after that point. Troubleshooting is all about methodically eliminating failure points - do/fix/replace things one at a time. We know stick B is a problem. Replace that first before you start tearing through other things.
I understand, I'm just trying to absolutely be certain it's RAM issue and not a motherboard slot issue.
I just tried the bad stick in B2 and it failed, then put the good stick in B2 and it got to boot.
Why on earth would the "bad" stick boot for every single slot upon retest, but fail on B2?
MisterNoisy
Member
More important is why does stick A work everywhere while stick B doesn't. When you get the new RAM, load both slots up and see if it boots. If you get the same behavior then, that's when you can start casting the stinkeye at your motherboard..
Yeah, just need to get some new sticks I think.
I've just managed to boot now using BOTH sticks.
Stick A of RAM (alleged "good" stick).
A1: Boots to BIOS
A2: Boots to BIOS
B1: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B (alleged bad RAM):
A2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, CPU LED - RESET. After RESET - Boots to BIOS straight away.
B2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, hangs here - fail.
A1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
B1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
Stick A and B
Stick B in A2
Stick A in B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B in A1:
Stick A in B1: Boots to BIOS
?????? What the hell is wrong with stick tho? Why does it just die in B2? Why does Stick A work in B2 but not Stick B? Why the hell have I managed to Boot to BIOS with both sticks?!!?
MisterNoisy
Member
No idea - sometimes you get a bad stick, though - there's a reason that high-end ASUS boards have a memory test button, and it's that memory is probably the highest failure rate part in most modern builds.
I've had perfectly good memory (as in it works fine in other boards) fail to POST in perfectly good motherboards just because of strange incompatibilities (check your mobo vendor QVL list before buying!). It happens.
I had a motherboard issue with a four DIMM setup in my last build and had to pull and reinstall the CPU cooler four times while troubleshooting (to see if the RAM was fine) as a result. It sucked, because the DRP3 is a total pain in the ass to install, but sometimes, that's just the price of doing business. With all four DIMMs, the machine would just reset over and over. Same with two. With one, it was great with any of the four sticks, so I called it a mobo issue and all was well when I got a new board. Your situation is pretty much the reverse of that, which is why I say hold off on worrying about the mobo until you get replacement RAM.
Final results:
Stick A of RAM (alleged "good" stick).
A1: Boots to BIOS
A2: Boots to BIOS
B1: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B (alleged bad RAM):
A2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, CPU LED - RESET. After RESET - Boots to BIOS straight away.
B2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, hangs here - fail.
A1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
B1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
Stick A and B
Stick A in A2
Stick B in B2: Fails. CPU_LED, DRAM_LED, cycle to CPU_LED - hangs. NOTE: Upon attempting again, MANAGED TO BOOT TO BIOS?!
Stick B in A2
Stick A in B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B in A1:
Stick A in B1: Boots to BIOS
Stick A in A1:
Stick B in B1: Boots to BIOS
Thanks for your support and help diagnosing - time to return these sticks!
I'm tempted to go to another store today and buy a different set to try, but I don't want to end up with 32GB of RAM lol.
EDIT: HOLYYYY SHIT. Just got Stick B to work in B2 - WTF? So not faulty?! What the fuck is happening...
MisterNoisy
Member
Does stick B boot in any other slot? Stick A does 100% of the time.
Stick B, after this attempt, now boots in every slot. Including B2, the slot it never liked.
I guess now I move on and just monitor if it becomes an issue through regular use?
I feared I wasn't pressing it in hard enough, but this morning (Australia, it's 1.30Pm and I started testing at 11:30AM) everything seems to work. where as last night (7PM, 10PM) Stick B never worked in any slot.
today I started applying more pressure when I installed the RAM though..
MisterNoisy
Member
Interesting. Put the whole thing together and see what happens then.
It boots.
Only thing is this. When I use A1 and B1, it boots to BIOS maybe 3 seconds faster than if I use A2 and B2.
Why do you think that is? Manual says to populate A2 and B2 first. But A1 and B1 is a faster boot? As in, the LED switches from CPU to DRAM to VGA to BOOT DEVICE faster. Using A2 and B2, it sits at DRAM LED for another few seconds.
HAH - it boots, but it froze on the BIOS when I let it sit just to see what was going to happen.
Now when I turn it on again it says the VGA is the issue?? Now power cycling it refuses to boot to BIOS. OK, I've diagnosed every possible outcome. Time to RMA. Thanks for your support !!
I'm going ahead with an install of Windows 7 Pro (via CD) to see if there are any issues ahead of me. Will report back. Just have to wait till I get some new RAM now.
Now when I turn it on again it says the VGA is the issue?? Now power cycling it refuses to boot to BIOS. OK, I've diagnosed every possible outcome. Time to RMA. Thanks for your support !!
I'm going ahead with an install of Windows 7 Pro (via CD) to see if there are any issues ahead of me. Will report back. Just have to wait till I get some new RAM now.
opticalmace
Member
Sometimes faulty ram will let you boot up. It doesn't mean failure 100% of the time.
Just exchange/RMA your ram, something is definitely up.
Just exchange/RMA your ram, something is definitely up.
in your opinion, after all those different test configs...could this be a mobo/cpu thing?
i decided to set up using the Good stick..so i'm on 8GB of DDR4 ram now. second stick is in it's packaging.
i've just done a full install of W7 and updated all my drivers..about to play some SF4..nothing funky has happened so far
opticalmace
Member
IMO it's the ram.
good to know. well, SF4 runs a treat, looking forward to that beta next week...haven't noticed anything else strange or out of the ordinary while I've been setting it all up. so looks like i'm good?
how else do you even tell if your Motherboard or CPU is broken/installed wrong?
I'd like some feedback on a build I'm putting together, hopefully to order everything and have it setup before Fallout 4.
Goals: Play Fallout 4, Star Wars Battlefront and Fable Legends at 1080p60 with max (or extremely close) settings (maybe attempt downsampling), and hopefully be capable enough to do DX12 gaming and VR and over the next 12 to 24 months before upgrading the GPU again. I will be cannibalizing lots of stuff from my current PC (keyboard, mouse, blu-ray drive, hdds, soundcard, two monitors). Monitors are 1080p but I will be replacing one with 1440p within a year. The other monitor will probably remain 1080p as I mostly have it disabled when I don't need my GPU running both screens (I run my consoles through it thanks to it having lots of inputs, with all sound routed to the soundcard). Mostly gaming, but photoshop, linux virtual machines and of course lots of web browsing.
Not sure I want to bother with water and people seem to be getting great results with air anyhow so I figured that might be as effective with less potential for problems.
Noise is not a big concern, I wear headphones most of the time that I'm at my PC. I'll be doing some experimenting with OCing but it's not a major desire.
For OS, I have a Windows 8 retail key (upgraded to win 10) on my current PC, correct me if I am wrong but I think I should be able to deactivate it on my current PC (it's being decommissioned), then install Windows 8.1 on my NEW build using the same key, and i should be able to upgrade to Windows 10. That should not be a problem, right? I realize I might have to call MS Support somewhere during this process to transfer it, not sure. Gah, MS makes installing Windows 10 a real bitch. Wish I could just use an ISO.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-DELUXE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($696.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case ($142.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($130.67 @ Newegg)
Total: $2093.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-18 03:00 EDT-0400
Any advice on beefing up some aspects or trimming fat in others would be useful. Or if any conflicts are jumping out to our more experienced builders? (This will only be my second ground-up build)
Goals: Play Fallout 4, Star Wars Battlefront and Fable Legends at 1080p60 with max (or extremely close) settings (maybe attempt downsampling), and hopefully be capable enough to do DX12 gaming and VR and over the next 12 to 24 months before upgrading the GPU again. I will be cannibalizing lots of stuff from my current PC (keyboard, mouse, blu-ray drive, hdds, soundcard, two monitors). Monitors are 1080p but I will be replacing one with 1440p within a year. The other monitor will probably remain 1080p as I mostly have it disabled when I don't need my GPU running both screens (I run my consoles through it thanks to it having lots of inputs, with all sound routed to the soundcard). Mostly gaming, but photoshop, linux virtual machines and of course lots of web browsing.
Not sure I want to bother with water and people seem to be getting great results with air anyhow so I figured that might be as effective with less potential for problems.
Noise is not a big concern, I wear headphones most of the time that I'm at my PC. I'll be doing some experimenting with OCing but it's not a major desire.
For OS, I have a Windows 8 retail key (upgraded to win 10) on my current PC, correct me if I am wrong but I think I should be able to deactivate it on my current PC (it's being decommissioned), then install Windows 8.1 on my NEW build using the same key, and i should be able to upgrade to Windows 10. That should not be a problem, right? I realize I might have to call MS Support somewhere during this process to transfer it, not sure. Gah, MS makes installing Windows 10 a real bitch. Wish I could just use an ISO.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-DELUXE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($696.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case ($142.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($130.67 @ Newegg)
Total: $2093.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-18 03:00 EDT-0400
Any advice on beefing up some aspects or trimming fat in others would be useful. Or if any conflicts are jumping out to our more experienced builders? (This will only be my second ground-up build)
longdi
Banned
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Corsair-Vengeance-3000MHz-PC4-24000-Memory/product/B0134EW7G8
Cheaper, though honestly, get the cheapest 2400 ram and overclock from your bios, most Skylake can get to 2800 without a voltage increase.
3200 ram and you will need voltage increase even though the rams are specced at that speeds.
All water cool setup?
At quiet mode, it performs as well as Noctua. Imo aio has matured to be very good over heavy air coolers
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SV7IEJI/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Stocks availability seems to stabilised now.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z0UX8TA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Starzonedge
Member
Hi guys. I'm building a PC for my wife and would like some advice.
Goals: Skyrim/Fallout 4 1080p/60fps with Nvidia 560Ti
Price range: <$700 if possible.
Should I go for the "Good - Very Capable" build or will I need the "Great" build?
Goals: Skyrim/Fallout 4 1080p/60fps with Nvidia 560Ti
Price range: <$700 if possible.
Should I go for the "Good - Very Capable" build or will I need the "Great" build?
Thanks for your suggestions. I was going to avoid water, but I'm not opposed to it. I think my lack of experience in building a water-cooled system is putting me off. I should research more into it.
longdi
Banned
It is very simple and safe nowadays! It is just like screwing on your case fans. And you will not need to fight towering metals that overshadow their own screws.
The hydro 980ti will be like 20-30 degrees celsius better than even the best custom air cooler.
Btw i would drop the deluxe board and go for the cheaper ROG http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012NH1SK8/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Looks nicer and comes with better onboard sound. I am using ROG boards for a few generation, and love their regular bios updates and have no issue with over-clocking on them. They just work great.
ChainsawFilms
Member
I've not been through every post, so this may have been covered.
I'd re-seat the CPU. I've seen this "solve" memory issues before, the controller is on the CPU, a contact issue there and you can see what you're seeing with only 1 stick working.
Before that, with one stick, get to the BIOS and nudge the RAM voltage up .1 or a touch more, see if that helps gets both sticks working.
I would be inclined to do this, but I think the problem is a little more complicated. I'll recap - I'm interested to see your thoughts on the issue.
I have two, DDR4 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2400 sticks. Stick A and Stick B. Here were my test results when I was isolating them and trying different combinations of installing.
Stick A of RAM (alleged "good" stick).
A1: Boots to BIOS
A2: Boots to BIOS
B1: Boots to BIOS
B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B (alleged bad RAM):
A2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, CPU LED - automatically reset itself..after this reset - Boots to BIOS straight away.
B2: Power on, CPU LED, DRAM LED, hangs here - fail.
A1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
B1: Boots to BIOS, Boots to BIOS on a power cycle again.
Stick A and B:
Stick A in A2
Stick B in B2: Fails. CPU_LED, DRAM_LED, cycle to CPU_LED - hangs. NOTE: Upon attempting again, MANAGED TO BOOT TO BIOS?! Subsequent power cycles, and it would then FAIL again.
Stick B in A2
Stick A in B2: Boots to BIOS
Stick B in A1:
Stick A in B1: Boots to BIOS
Stick A in A1:
Stick B in B1: Boots to BIOS
Thoughts? I'm posting from the PC, setup with Windows 7 and all drivers in, it's working a treat. I'm using Stick A in DIMM slot A2.
The fact that it worked with both sticks, but got real funny with Stick B in the B2 slot had me worried it was a motherboard issue. But Stick A worked in B2 slot perfectly fine, no issues...
ChainsawFilms
Member
I don't think it's the RAM, it's too random. It could be of course, but that wouldn't be my first or second guess.
Up the RAM voltage first, then if that doesn't help reseat the CPU checking the socket for bent / slightly bent pins.
I've seen both of these solve odd RAM issues like you're describing.
Good luck, I know it's frustrating.
Up the RAM voltage first, then if that doesn't help reseat the CPU checking the socket for bent / slightly bent pins.
I've seen both of these solve odd RAM issues like you're describing.
Good luck, I know it's frustrating.
You do not need to disable one monitor when you run games on your main monitor unless the setup you have specifically has problems with that. It's unlikely that you will have problems. You cannot deactivate and reuse an old Windows license with a different computer, it is tied to the computer that it was installed on. In some cases, you can change certain parts of a PC like the motherboard and call Microsoft's support line to have your Windows license manually reactivated, but not with an entirely different computer. You can always use an ISO instead of the disc to install Windows, though.
As for the build itself, it's quite good and all of the parts are high end and actually considerably "premium". You can save quite a lot of money while retaining nearly the same performance and/or with little noticeable change. This is what I recommend instead.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($163.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($696.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1695.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-18 04:28 EDT-0400
That's about $300 saved while retaining the same core performance (same processor and graphics card). All of the other changes are cost-savings moves that are still very respectable in terms of performance and the differences compared to the higher end parts you had selected at first would not be very noticeable.
The Gigabyte motherboard should be more than adequate for your needs and is less than half the cost but no less effective for overall performance, and more than enough for slight to moderate overclocking. You would be hard-pressed to find a difference between 2666MHz and 3200MHz in games. The 850 Evo is similarly more than capable enough for most users and the advantages that the Pro model offers aren't worth it when considering the price-to-performance ratio. If you don't mind, I've switched out the pricey Enthoo Luxe case for the cheaper but still considerably well-designed Fractal Define S that is universally well received by professional and user reviews alike. Finally, the last change is for the EVGA Supernova B2 which is actually quite high quality for "only" being bronze and punches well above its weight class in terms of build quality and electrical performance.
A build similar to the "good" template will do just fine for your needs, but the great build would remain more effective and last longer before needing to be upgraded/replaced. Since you'll be reusing a GTX 560 Ti that you already have, keep in mind that the GPU might hold back performance, you may need to lower some settings to achieve 60FPS (we'll know better once Fallout 4 is out and websites come out with PC performance analyses.)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin ECO2 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.33 @ OutletPC)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $381.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-18 04:43 EDT-0400
If you live near a local Microcenter store, they have the slightly better i5 4590 processor for $160 as an in-store deal only. If you were to spend a bit more, you could consider getting an 250GB SSD for about $80. If you don't mind spending closer up to your $700 limit, then we'd arrange for a a different parts list similar to the "great" template that focuses on an overclockable processor and Z97 motherboard.
Thanks for the tips.
I think it's the RAM, based on what the MisterNoisy and opticalmace have told me - this "Stick B" didn't play nice , on it's own, with the rest of the DIMM slots. Which explains why it wasn't being read properly by the mobo..
So the fact that I'm gaming/using the PC, getting stress temps of around 50C, isn't a positive sign that the CPU was seated correctly?
I'm going to RMA the RAM and then test a new pair. If that fails, then I'll look at the CPU. Should I ... not be using the PC in that time? Like I said, everything is installed and seems to be working well..
ChainsawFilms
Member
Use the PC just fine in the meantime, if it's working there's no issues.
Don't be afraid of upping the RAM voltage a little. You can test it and drop it back down again afterwards. Obviously don't go mad on the bump
Don't be afraid of upping the RAM voltage a little. You can test it and drop it back down again afterwards. Obviously don't go mad on the bump
Use the PC just fine in the meantime, if it's working there's no issues.
Don't be afraid of upping the RAM voltage a little. You can test it and drop it back down again afterwards. Obviously don't go mad on the bump
I'm confused - if it's working and there's no issues, why would it run perfectly sweet, but the CPU being seated badly cause the RAM to not be detected, and (as far as I've experience in my current use) have that be the only issue so far?
ChainsawFilms
Member
The memory controller is on the CPU. I consider reseating a CPU one of the first things to do if a build isn't POSTing. It is not uncommon for a mis-seated CPU to cause issues on particular memory slots. In your case, this seems unlikely, but for a 5 minute job, it's worth doing, just in case.
I've recommended you reseat the CPU after trying a RAM voltage increase. I'd not be at all surprised if that solved your problem. The fact the "faulty" stick has worked once or twice, makes me think it may not be quite getting the power kick it needs to get going. Of course it could be a faulty stick, but you can get to the BIOS on the other stick so, again imo, it's worth trying. I'd probably go as high as 1.3v but I don't know what voltage you RAM uses. Again, this is from experience, I've seen a small .1v increase get RAM booting just fine.
I've recommended you reseat the CPU after trying a RAM voltage increase. I'd not be at all surprised if that solved your problem. The fact the "faulty" stick has worked once or twice, makes me think it may not be quite getting the power kick it needs to get going. Of course it could be a faulty stick, but you can get to the BIOS on the other stick so, again imo, it's worth trying. I'd probably go as high as 1.3v but I don't know what voltage you RAM uses. Again, this is from experience, I've seen a small .1v increase get RAM booting just fine.
I see. I'm a bit cautious of reseating the CPU, that's all. This is my first build, so would I need to completely take everything apart, unmount the motherboard, take the 212X off, remove the thermal paste, then reseat the CPU - and then put everything together again?
I've never OC'd RAM before, so do you mind if I post my specs for some help?
- Intel Core i5 6600K
- ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard
- Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5in SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2133C13 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 Black
- CoolerMaster G750M 750W Modular Bronze Power Supply
- CoolerMaster Hyper 212X CPU Cooler
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro Chassis Black
- Using an old AMD 7850 GPU
Hey all,
First time PC builder here and I already have over half of the parts of my PC. The only things I have left are really the CPU, GPU, and motherboard. I've been kind of the fence on what to get since I barely know anything about CPUs/mobos. I had two choices that were from friends (see below) and the above options from OP seemed alright but I'm still on the fence since it's going to be a large investment for me either way for these parts. Also, I been leaning on the 680 as a video card as I been tracking prices on it and it seems to be gradually dropping. All opinions are welcome and thanks in advance everyone.
CPU -
1. i7 4790K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPRWAX8/?tag=neogaf0e-20
2. i7 4820K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYWDCAG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Mobo:
ASUS X99-PRO/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2011-v3_Intel_X99_SATA-_-13-132-517-_-Product
http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?1889461_g10e (would rather grab from a site I heard of though.....)
First time PC builder here and I already have over half of the parts of my PC. The only things I have left are really the CPU, GPU, and motherboard. I've been kind of the fence on what to get since I barely know anything about CPUs/mobos. I had two choices that were from friends (see below) and the above options from OP seemed alright but I'm still on the fence since it's going to be a large investment for me either way for these parts. Also, I been leaning on the 680 as a video card as I been tracking prices on it and it seems to be gradually dropping. All opinions are welcome and thanks in advance everyone.
CPU -
1. i7 4790K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPRWAX8/?tag=neogaf0e-20
2. i7 4820K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYWDCAG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Mobo:
ASUS X99-PRO/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2011-v3_Intel_X99_SATA-_-13-132-517-_-Product
http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?1889461_g10e (would rather grab from a site I heard of though.....)
None of those three parts are compatible with each other. The i7 4790K is meant to be paired with a Z97 motherboard. The i7 4820K is an older discontinued model that is only compatible with X79 motherboards which are also discontinued. The Asus X99-Pro motherboard is meant to be paired with an i7 5XXX series processor.
Are you talking about the GTX 680 graphics card? That's quite old and won't be well supported by future graphics driver updates. Are you looking at a used or new GTX 680? If you're buying new, there's no reason not to get a current generation graphics card.
We can recommend you newer and compatible parts, how much is your budget, what is your location, and what will you be using the PC for? What parts have you already purchased?
Sorry I didn't note on too much. Now I'm glad I did say something here first. I plan on using it for gaming in 1440p and I plan on doing some streaming/video editing with it as well. As for the CPU, I sort of suspected that something seemed off with it. Budget isn't really a problem. And the GPU, I meant to say 980. I had only been awake for 20 minutes when I typed all of that!
I have already purchased the following:
Monitor - Dell U2713HM 27-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009H0XQQY/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Bought on 9/1, got a refurb for $389.
Case - Phantom 820 (Black)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146097 .
RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Memory Kit Model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231826&cm_re=DDR4-_-20-231-826-_-Product
CPU Cooler/Fan -
Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver.2 - Silent CPU Air Cooler with 6 Direct Contact Heatpipes and Folding Fin Structure RR-H6V2-13PK-R1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PJSFR7Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20
To note, I have other HDD's in my current PC that I'll be using and I'll buy Windows 10 later.
EDIT: Location is USA, east coast.
ChainsawFilms
Member
That RAM is 1.2v from a quick Google. I'd put in the good stick, get to the BIOS and turn off Auto in the voltage setting, and choose 1.2v manually. save settings, then turn it off. Replace good stick with the "bad" stick, turn on, see what happens.
If that didn't work, I'd then inch it up, repeating the process at 1.25v and if need be 1.3v. You're not going to damage anything, and even if you did somehow damage the RAM stick, it's not really working anyway, so nothing lost. Well, you know what I mean.
If that didn't work, then return the RAM, but if it were me I'd like to know. There will be some tolerance to RAM, hence you can have one is working and one not at 1.2v. Maybe 1.21v will do it. Maybe the "good" stick is working will a little less power, maybe your mobo isn't quite hitting 1.2v so setting it manually will do the trick.
I'm simply saying if it was me, I'd try a few more things. And reseating the CPU isn't that tricky, just rebuild the PC on cardboard on the desk, not in the case, it makes messing around a lot easier.
I've found DDR4 and motherboard combinations to be a whole lot more problematic than good old DDR3, but I see you've updated to the latest BIOS so that would have been one of my first questions
Good luck, and if you don't want to try, I completely understand. But then you've purchased a K class CPU, where's the fun in that if you don't want to tinker with overclocking
That RAM is 1.2v from a quick Google. I'd put in the good stick, get to the BIOS and turn off Auto in the voltage setting, and choose 1.2v manually. save settings, then turn it off. Replace good stick with the "bad" stick, turn on, see what happens.
If that didn't work, I'd then inch it up, repeating the process at 1.25v and if need be 1.3v. You're not going to damage anything, and even if you did somehow damage the RAM stick, it's not really working anyway, so nothing lost. Well, you know what I mean.
If that didn't work, then return the RAM, but if it were me I'd like to know. There will be some tolerance to RAM, hence you can have one is working and one not at 1.2v. Maybe 1.21v will do it. Maybe the "good" stick is working will a little less power, maybe your mobo isn't quite hitting 1.2v so setting it manually will do the trick.
I'm simply saying if it was me, I'd try a few more things. And reseating the CPU isn't that tricky, just rebuild the PC on cardboard on the desk, not in the case, it makes messing around a lot easier.
I've found DDR4 and motherboard combinations to be a whole lot more problematic than good old DDR3, but I see you've updated to the latest BIOS so that would have been one of my first questions
Good luck, and if you don't want to try, I completely understand. But then you've purchased a K class CPU, where's the fun in that if you don't want to tinker with overclocking
OK, noted. I think these will be my next steps when I get my replacement RAM...or maybe tomorrow night depending on how my RMA request goes...
A few people have said to replace the RAM and then try these steps, so I might stick with that.
Why am I able to use the PC for everything else tho, if the CPU is potentially seated incorrectly? I can game etc. No freezes, temps are normal (haven't pushed past 50C). Nothing funky. Except that one RAM stick being a shithead with all 4 DIMM slots
ChainsawFilms
Member
OK, noted. I think these will be my next steps when I get my replacement RAM...or maybe tomorrow night depending on how my RMA request goes...
A few people have said to replace the RAM and then try these steps, so I might stick with that.
Why am I able to use the PC for everything else tho, if the CPU is potentially seated incorrectly? I can game etc. No freezes, temps are normal (haven't pushed past 50C). Nothing funky. Except that one RAM stick being a shithead with all 4 DIMM slots
I don't think it's the CPU. As I've said, that's just one of the things I do when having RAM issues. Only yesterday I was having to resolve bent pins on a motherboard, it happens. So to be clear, I don't think it is a seating issue, I'm saying it's worth a try. I'd prefer to spend 10 minutes reseating than waiting a few days to RMA. I'm impatient
I'd be more inclined to say yes the stick is faulty, except it POSTed once which would lead me to believe a small bump in power to the RAM may well get you going. Again, I'm talking from experience here, I've built a lot of PCs over the years and encountered many odd problems, and I have a few things I do when the culprit appears to be RAM:
Test all sticks in all slots in all combinations - you've done this.
Reseat CPU
Rebuild PC (to be fair, I always build on the bench, never in the case until the PC is working) when re-seating CPU to base spec only (no GPU if you have an onboard VGA), no HDD. At this stage I don't even remount the heat sink, I push down on it, I may end up taking it all apart again anyway. Obviously I only do this as far as the BIOS!
I tend to have parts around, so I can swap out and see what conclusions that leads to. I've only recently had a DDR4 mobo refuse to get past POST with 2x16gb sticks, turned out I needed to update the mobo BIOS to get it working with the sticks. Very frustrating.
As I've said, I can only go by my past experiences. If you don't feel comfortable messing around with voltage, then wait for the new stick. There's every chance that will solve the issue, and you'll then put it down to having a faulty stick. Sometimes you get a stick that just needs a bit more power, then all is well.
To be fair, if you're working now on 8gb, you may as well just wait it out. 8gb to 16gb for general useage isn't going to make any big difference.
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